Fire-escape.



Patented lulv 9. |901.

D. FIRTH.

FIRE ESCAPE.

(Apglicatnn Bled Dec. 5, 1.900.)

(No Model.)

UNTTED STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID FIRTH, OF KIMBERLY, CANADA.

FlR-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 678,169, dated July 9,1901. Application led December 5, 1900. Serial No. 38,807. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known thatV 1, DAVID FIRTH, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain, residing at Kimberly, in the Province of British Columbia andDominion of Canada, have invented a new and useful Fire-Escape, of whichthe following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improvements in fire-escapes, and hasfor its object to produce a simple and eective device which may bereadily and securely attached to a building for the purpose offacilitating the escape of persons when the ordinary means of egress areunavailable-as, for instance, in case of re. In devices of thischaracter the prerequisites to their adoption are effectiveness,inexpensiveness, and their capability of being securely fixed to thebuilding without weakening the structure or requiring eX- tensivealterations.

With a view to fulfilling these several requirements my inventionconsists in equipping a light metal drum with a chain ladder, which maybe quickly raised or lowered bya person within the building, and withsupporting and attaching means which may be readily affixed to the wallof the building, and,-

further, with simple and effective actuating mechanism which may beoperated by the occupants of a house.y Y

The invention further consists in the details of construction andarrangement hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and defined in the appended claim.

In said drawings, Figure l is a sectional View through a portion of abuilding, illustrating the application of my fire-escape. Fig. 2 is anelevation of the exterior of the building, showing so much of my deviceas is exposed. Fig. 3 is an interior elevation showing the mechanismfor-winding the ladder upon the drum and for eecting the release of thedrum to permit the ladder to drop into position for use. Fig. 4 is adetail perspective View of the bearing-plates, their connectingbolts,and the pawl; and Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation showing the manner inwhich one of the tie-bolts is utilized as a journal for the pawl.

Referring to the numerals of reference employed to designatecorresponding parts throughout the views, l indicates the wall of abuilding, and 2 a window, adjacent to which latter is mounted the drum 3of the fire-escape. The drum 3 is located upon the eX- terior of thebuilding, preferably adjacent to one lower corner of the window, andisprovided at its opposite ends with the chainguards 4, which insure theeven Winding of the chain ladder 5, secured at its upper end to the drum3. From one end of said drum I extend a somewhat-reduced spindle portion5a, passed through an opening 6 in the wall and through alined openingsin a pair of bearing-plates 7 and 8, located against the interior andexterior faces of the wall and connected by tie-bolts 9 and 10, passedthrough the wall l parallel with the spindle 5a and at considerabledistances above and below it.

It will bevnoted that the bearing-plates 7,

and 8 are of considerable size, the purpose of this being to utilizesaid plates not only as bearings for. the spindle, `but also asstiening-plates for strengthening the wall at that point to which itissubjected to the weight of my apparatus and of persons who in anemergency may descend by the chain ladder 5. Immediately adjacent to theinner face of the inside plate 8 the spindle l is provided with aratchet-wheel 1l, `whose hub 12 bears against the plate 7 and isprovided with a retaining-screw 13, passed into the spindle to insurethe rigid retention of the wheel upon the spindle, which precaution isnecessary, as this wheel constitutes means for preventing the spindlefrom pulling through the wall. The ratchet-wheel ll is designed to beretained against backward rotation by a gravity-pawl 14, for the pivotalsupport of which the inner end of the upper tie-bolt 9 is utilized, asshown more clearly in Figs. 4 and 5, the end of the bolt being reducedfor the reception of the pawl and provided with a pair of nuts, one ofwhich-that is to say, the nut 15-is designed to draw up the bolt and theother nut 16 to retain the pawl in place.

17 indicates a handle or crank fitted upon the inner end of the spindle5a to facilitate the rotation of the drum necessary to wind the chainladder 5 thereon. In the event of a iire or other emergency requiringthe occupants of lthe house to escape from the window it is simplynecessary to li-ft the pawl 14 out of engagement with the ratchet wheel1l, when, as Will be obvious, the Weight of the chain ladder will causeit to unwind from the drum and to gravitate to its pendent position foruse.

From the foregoing it will appear that I have produced a simple,effective, and inexpensive nre-escape which may be readily attached toany building Without necessity for extensive alteration and which Whenapplied will serve rather to strengthen the Wall than otherwise and willbe capable of manipulation without special skill; but, while the presentembodiment of my invention is believed at this time to be preferable, Idesire to reserve to myself the right to effect such changes,modifications, and variations as may fall properly within the scope ofthe protection prayed.

Vhat I claim is- In a nre-escape, the combination with a support, as forinstance the Wall of a building, of a pair of bearing-plates in contactwith the opposite sides of the wall, tie-bolts piercing the Wall andconnecting said plates adjacent to the opposite ends thereof, a drumprovided with a flexible ladder and having a reduced spindle portionpassed through and journaled directly in the plates intermediate of thetiebolts, chain-guards extending from the drum at opposite sides of theladder, a ratchet-Wheel secured upon the spindle in contact with theinner plate and constituting means for preventing endwise movement ofthe spindle, a pawl mounted upon the inner end of one of the tie-boltsto engage the ratchet-Wheel, and a crank upon the inner end of thespindle to effect the Winding of the ladder upon the drum.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

DAVID FIRTH. Vitnesses:

EDvvD. ELWELL, FRED SCALES.

